History

What does 1916 mean to you? There’s a prize for the best account

Readers are invited to write about the significance for them of the 1916 Rising

A street barricade during the Rising. This year’s centenary means many things to many people.
A street barricade during the Rising. This year’s centenary means many things to many people.
Conor Goodman's picture
Conor Goodman
Tue Jan 12 2016 - 16:00

What is the meaning of 1916? It sounds like a thorny historical or ideological question, but put it another way – “What does 1916 mean to you?” – and it becomes something different. It’s a personal question, with as many answers as there are people in Ireland.

The Irish Times is inviting readers to share their own feelings about 1916 and its centenary with us.

Reflect on what the events of 1916 mean to you as an Irish person living today. Do you applaud or deplore the rebels’ actions? Does today’s Ireland conform to the vision of 100 years ago? Do centenary celebrations stir emotions – of nostalgia, or anger – in you?

31/03/2013 Captain Eoin Rochford from The Defence Forces Headquarters reads the Proclamationduring the 97th anniversary commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising at the GPO, Dublin, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins
31/03/2013 Captain Eoin Rochford from The Defence Forces Headquarters reads the Proclamationduring the 97th anniversary commemoration of the 1916 Easter Rising at the GPO, Dublin, Dublin. Photo: Gareth Chaney Collins

Entrants may be living in Ireland or abroad, and the competition is open to all nationalities.

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To share your account of no more than 500 words email it to my1916@irishtimes.com, by midnight on Sunday January 31st (the deadline has been extended by two days).

Please send your account in the body of the email, not as a Word attachment. Include a phone number and address in case we need to contact you in relation to your story. And please state what country you are living in.

Some of the accounts will be published, and the best one will win a prize from The Irish Times and Ireland 2016: €1,000 and an opportunity to tour the GPO Witness History Exhibition on its opening day, Easter Monday 2016.

So get thinking and get writing.